🚀 go-pugleaf

alan@aucs.acadiau.ca (Alan W. McKay) writes:

>So did anyone else catch on the news last night about the amalgamation
>of NS universities?  Looks like Cameron is going to do it!  He has hired
>consultants to advise on how it can be done, and how quickly.  This
>will mean centres of excellence, which will mean some programmes won't
>be offered at some universities.  

>Anyone care to make some guesses as to what Acadia will end up with?

>I say at least these:
>	Computer Science
>	Business
	Biology
	Food Science/Nutrition/Home Economics


>And gone will be:
>	Physics
>	Chemistry
>	Philosophy
>	Classics
	Geology
	Computer Centre (contracted to Dal - a very very low priority so
					 don't worry about it...  :-)
    English
	Fine Arts - Heck ALL ARTS! (Sell BAC to Wolfville)
	Engineering

>Anybody else care to speculate?  

Math and Physics are supposed to be amalgamated within this university,
or so I heard, within a short period of time.  They may decide to add 
engineering into either Comp. Sci (Ich) or Math.  

>What are your opinions on the amalgamation?  I personally think it
>is an excellent idea since it will be much less expensive, and will
>give students a better quality education.  However, there is the
>down side that programmes will become less flexible.  For example,
>it may become impossible to take Comp Sci and Philosophy at Acadia,
>which is what I did.

It allows for a better education but what are they going to do with all
the research that has been collected/done here?  The Geology department
has a BIG collection and some very active staff members....

>Personally I think that this sort of thing should happen right across
>the country.  Germany does it this way and they seem to be getting
>along quite good.  Makes sense really, offer a certain programme in
>6 or 7 places and do it extremely well, rather than trying to spread
>money, resources and professors across the country at every university.
>You end up with concentrations of excellence that cost a heck of a
>lot less than having a bunch of mediocre universities.  A strange thing
>about Germany as well is that there is no way to rate universities, it
>just isn't done and has no meaning.  When students apply for a certain
>programme, they give a few universities of preference but are not
>guaranteed this place unless they have a very good reason to go there
>(e.g. want to live at home with parents, uncle, aunt, etc).  As well,
>students there get paid as much as 500DM per month or more, which is
>a stark contrast to our own system of making students pay to go to
>university.

What about the students who can't afford to go away from home?  If the
local university doesn't offer the degree they want, then they will have
to go into a little bit of debt to obtain it. (when otherwise they might
have come out just about even)

I think that in locations like NS where there are a lot of universities,
they might try switching some of them to "pre-degree" campuses.  That
is, require a student to do 2 years at a one of these places and then
admit them into a degree program when they prove that they can work.
This would save the government money in the long run.
As well, they should keep some of the larger centralized universities
as general places of education (just the way they are now) - and only
change some of the "out of the way" places to specific degree.  In this
manner, you could get a degree in anything from one place (say Dal), but
get a BETTER more specialized degree at another (Say CS at Acadia).

Thoughts?
--
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*Michael Hogan, School of Computer Science, Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.*
*               861033h@aucs.AcadiaU.CA, 861033h@ace.AcadiaU.ca               *
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